Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 86:

“Canada is a multicultural society with a strong history of welcoming immigrants and celebrating cultural diversity. Canada currently accepts about 300,000 new immigrants annually. Opportunities for new immigrants, however, vary. Studies show that immigrants from some countries do a lot better than others ins ecuring jobs with decent incomes and opportunities for advancement…

Our immigration policies must be revamped to ensure we stay true to our identity as a just, fair, and open country, and to be prepared for new challenges that are predicted to arise with increased numbers of environmental refugees seeking a safe new home in an increasingly perilous world…

Green Party MPs will:

- Lead a national discussion to define ‘environmental refugee’ and advocate for the inclusion of environmental refugees as a refugee category in Canada and accept an appropriate share of the world’s environmental refugees into Canada.

- Eliminate the valuation of foreign credentials for immigration purposes except in those cases where such credentials are recognized in Canada or a clear and expeditious path to Canadian accreditation is established, and in place establish realistic criteria for immigrants based on existing job opportunities for immigrants to Canada.

- Press professional societies to remove unnecessary barriers hindering the recognition of valid professional credentials of immigrants.”

Quick Translation: Immigration is a key part of Canada’s identity and we need to ensure that those who migrate here are welcomed with equitable opportunities and not excessive red tape.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green?

I’ve just begun a new blog, The Long View, to indulge my musings on the various books that I read my way through. I figure it gives me some justification to read as much as I do and buy as many books as I do.

One of the books I’m reading right now is Tomorrow’s God by Neale Donald Walsch. I was just blogging about how his challenge to us is to realize that we are all one. That there is no such thing as separation. That every part of this Creation is also the Creator. Y’know, that kind of stuff.

And then this article came across my Twitter stream (Tweet-stream?). Jason Kenney, the Conservative Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, deleted any mention of equal rights for non-hetero citizens. Really? And then, according to the article, he was surprised that it had happened. Really.

It seems to me that this is a perfect example of not doing unto others, and not following any sort of belief that we are all one.

At least to me, if he had these beliefs, he would be unable to ostracize and continually villianise even one person, let alone an entire demographic of the population. And let’s be honest, he’s been on record against same-sex rights for a long time.

And, to be clear. I care because I believe we are all One. What we do to another, we ultimately do to ourselves.

That is why I care about equal rights for all citizens.

That is why I care about human rights for all people.

That is why I care that 20% of the world’s population has 80% of the wealth.

And, that is why I care that we are devastating our natural environment and resources.

We have been terrible stewards of our world. I think it is time to change that.

Harper’s Canada is not my Canada. And that’s why I’m running for the Greens.

So there.